Reed-organ



(ModeL) W. E. LEIGHTON.

REED ORGAN.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Pgented May 1,1883.

lvlithognphqr. Walh'mginrh n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. LEIGHTON, OF NEST PEMBROKE, MAINE.

REED-ORGAN.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,837, dated May 1, 1883,

tModcl.)

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. LElGl-ITON, ofWest Pembroke,Washington county, Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reed-Organs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to reed-organs and similar musical instruments, in which the windehest is constructed or provided with an upward extension for the purpose of giving an increased resonance.

The invention consists in an upward exten sion of the main wind-chest provided with a partition, whereby the air in its way to the bellows is made to circulate both up and down said wind-chest extension; anditalso consists in a combination, with the upward wind-chest extensioinot' aresonant air-chamber arranged in front of said extension. Areed-organ thus constructed has better resonance and a full ringing tone.

ltet'erenceis to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

Figure 1 represents a broken front view of a reedorgan in part, having my invention applied; and Fig. 2,a vertical section on the line w to of the same.

A in the drawings indicates the main windchest of a reed-organ; B B, its suction or exhaust bellows; b b,the keys; 0, the reeds, and (Z the valves by which the reeds are controlled. Mounted on the rear portion of the main windchest A is an upward extension, 1), of said wind-chest, the same forming a supplementary wind-chest extending throughout the length of the instrument, or therea-bout, and corn structed or provided with a diaphragm, 0, arranged to extend to near the top of said extension D and down to the bottom of the main wind-chest A, leaving front and rear passages, fg,throughoutthe length of the supplementary wind-chest. The rear one, g, of these passages connects with the bellows. Thesides of the supplementary wind-chest and the diaphragm a, forming these passages f g, may be made of thin wood, cloth, or any other suitaable material or materials to give the requisite tone and effect.

In the working of the organ the air which passes through the reeds into the main windchest A is conducted up the passage fot' the upward extension orsupplementary wind-chcq2 D, and, passing over the top of the partition flows down the passagegto the bellows,thereby giving afull ringing tone. To improve the eflect and augment the resonance of the instrument, however, I arrange in front of the supplementary wind-chest l) a resonant airehamber, E, arranged to extend along or across the instrument, and which may have any nunr her of perforations h or other openings in it. This resonant chamber may be made of any suitable material, and serves to increase the volume of sound given out by its trout, which acts as a sounding-board.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In combination with the main wind-chest, reeds, and bellows or exhaust devices of the instrument. the upwardly-projerting supplementary wind-chest I), provided with a longitudinal diaphragm or partition, 0, arranged to form passages to conduct the air from the main wind-chest, afterits passage through the reeds and on its way to the bellows, both up wardiy and downwardly through the supplementary wind-chest.substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the main windchest A and bellows B, of the upwardly-projecting supplementary wind-chest 1), having a longitudinal partition, 6, up within it, arranged to form upward and downward passages fg, in communication below, respectively, with the main wind-chestand bellows, and the resonant air-chamber E, arranged in front of said supplementary wind-chest, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

WlLLIAM E. LEIGHTON.

Witnesses:

BELA A. WILDER, 1%. E. WILDER. 

